The Gods Within
by WorldreaverPrime
Summary: Inside every man, there is a god. We must only have the wisdom to release him. BuddhaAn evil corporate entity plays with the ultimate destiny of humanity. A scientist seeks to propel mankind into the next stage of evolution. A young boy seeks answers.
1. Prologue

**Prologue: Memory**

_Somewhere out in the nameless countryside, under a sky filled with shimmering stars, a lonely house sits at the end of a long drive way. The usual single blue station wagon is joined by a few new arrivals. A fancy, expensive looking sports car sits next to the homely family vehicle, and farther down the drive, sitting under a large weeping willow a pair of white vans with tinted windows, the red insignia of a stylized N and G wrapping around themselves to form a corporate seal upon the vehicle's windowless flanks._

_Within the house, a conversation is carried on in the small kitchen area. A helplessly frightened and confused single mother of one sits on one side of the small, circular wooden table and weeps into a napkin gripped tightly in a trembling hand. Across from her sits a man, not unfamiliar to this setting. She had been dating him for the past two months, hoping to take steps to give her only son a father figure to shape his young, troubled life around. To give him some measure of stability in a home turned upside-down by the loss of his birth father. The man sat dressed in business attire, since he had come straight from work when she called him. She had told him about her sons... special qualities, and how they often got the young boy in serious trouble. Now, though, the trouble was more serious than ever before. _

"_Oh, Jacob... What am I going to do with him? It can't keep on happening like this, not if... what happened... is the result!" the mother sobbed, speaking through the wracking sorrow and the torrent of tears that fell from her eyes. "I don't want him to suffer and I don't want him to hurt people anymore, even if he doesn't mean it!"_

_The man, Jacob Sarrom, Chief Director of NeoGene Bio-technologies Incorporated, laid a sympathetic hand on hers and spoke in a soothing tone, "Theo, I can't tell you I imagine how you feel, or even if I understand. But, I can assure you that what happened today was in no way your son's, or your fault in any way. You see, we're seeing this more and more with each generation of children born. Wild metahuman traits, mutagenic properties cropping up unpredictably throughout the human gene pool. But, we're beginning to understand why this is happening. These... new genes, they don't make our children freaks or monsters."_

"_Then... then what are they? They can't be called human, can they?" Theo replied, her curiosity piqued. If she could learn more about her son's "condition", she reasoned the more at ease she'd be. She had to understand._

_Jacob smiled softly and said, "They are special, the harbingers of a new age of humanity. Don't you see, Theo? They are the next evolutionary step we must take as a species. The process that we had thought had left us relatively unchanged all these years, these centuries since homo sapiens started our reign as the dominant species, has actually been changing us subtly. Changing our minds, our bodies, and most importantly, our genetic makeup. Now, more of these advanced beings are coming into the world with special gifts and abilities. Your son, he is one of these special individuals. He is progress, not something to be ashamed of. Trust me." _

"_But, but... what about what happened today at the school? The Jemerson kid, his head...!" Theo began again, her voice raising with horror at the memory. Jacob sensed her descend back into despair and worked his soothing ways again. "Yes, what occurred was gruesome and very unfortunate. But, you must understand, while your son's special gifts were the root cause of this event, it was only because he had no way to control his latent potential. No training, no knowledge as to the possible damage he could inflict. He was probably more afraid than anyone else at the school at that moment, and it was this emotional energy associated with fear that fed the chaotic chain reaction that resulted."_

"_So... your saying... that all my boy needs... is training? Training, and he'll be all right. Is that what you mean?" Theo stuttered, hope returning to her eyes and joy building in her voice. Jacob smiled even wider, "That is indeed what I am saying, Theo. With a little training, and perhaps some preventive measures, your son will be able to control his abilities and rejoin society as a product, but special, member of the human species."_

"_And... he'll get this sort of training at NeoGene Corporation? How expensive will it be, Jacob? You know we don't have a lot of free money floating around in the banks!" Theo said, beginning to sound worried again._

"_Rest assured that NeoGene Corp won't ask a penny from you. In fact, because of your selfless act of sacrifice, sending your son away from home, I can persuade the Board of Directors to compensate you exceedingly well for your heartache and inconvenience. We might also influence some of the local news syndicates to... forget the incident at the school today." Jacob told her._

"_Really! Oh, Jacob, that's all so very wonderful! But... I'm not sure I like being paid... It would feel like I've sold him off, like I didn't want him anymore..." Theo said, at first happy but then sobering herself._

"_Theo, he's only eight years old, he won't understand any of this at all. You can't be expected to continue on like this. The money will help you build a better life for your son, so that when the training is over, he can return and flourish. Wouldn't you like that for him?"_

_Theo took a long, deep breathe. In her frazzled, muddled mind, all that Jacob was saying made perfect sense. Her lingering doubts held little sway over this indisputable logic. She dried her eyes, and for the first time in six years, she felt a ray of hope. Hope for her son. She looked the man across the table in the eyes and said, "Alright, I guess... for my son's sake, we'll do it. I just pray he won't grow to hate me for it."_

_Jacob chuckled as he stood, and said, "Theo, once he understands what a gift your actually giving to him, he won't be able to stop thanking you. You have no idea the benefits this decision will bestow upon him, the opportunities... It's a gift every mother should give."_

"_Oh, Jacob, you're always so good with words." Theo met him on the other side of the table and hugged him, then gave him a kiss. He returned both gestures of affection and then says. "Now, don't be alarmed, Theo, but I've brought some men from NeoGene Corp with me tonight. In the event you agreed to the decision, I wanted them nearby so that we could begin right away."_

_Theo smiled up at him, the first true smile she'd given him. "I trust you know what's best, Jacob."_

_Jacob brought his cellphone out and sent a pre-programmed text message to the men outside. Several seconds later, the door to the small house opened and in marched a quartet of white uniformed men encased in what looked like riot armor. Theo looked at them and then to Jacob. "What is all that for?"_

_Jacob wrapped an arm around her waist and said, "A precautionary measure, and nothing more. In case something like what happened at the school happens here." Theo silently nodded, watching as the men tramped up the stairs to the second floor. Upstairs, there was the sound of a door opening, and then high-pitched screams of terror. There was a struggle, the sound of shouting men and breaking furniture. Theo made to head for the stairs, but Jacob restrained her firmly but gently. He explained, "It'll be better if we don't intervene. Yes, it sounds bad, but it's the only way. Trust me, Theo. It will all be better in the long run."_

_The sound of the struggle intensified as the men brought the boy back downstairs. The child was dressed in his nightclothes, and struggled furiously to free himself from the armored men and their grip. In his fervor, he didn't even see his mother or Jacob standing there, watching. There was only the fear and the fight. _

"_Careful, men! Don't be unnecessarily rough with him! He's just a boy, after all!" Jacob called to them as they made their way slowly to the kitchen door. One the men tasked with transporting the child snorted at his employer and replied, "Just a kid? Yeah right, he already nearly broke Beregson's arm upstairs! We'll do what we have to!"_

_Suddenly, in the midst of the shouting and struggling, the feeling of the room changed. A thickness in the air could be felt, an electrical vibration in the air. The hair on the backs of necks stood up. Theo's hands flew to her mouth as she saw what was happening. Jacob and his men saw it too, the crackling energy beginning to arc and crawl over the boy's small frame as he grit his teeth against the immense mental pressure, the emotional forces inside him cascading and making the entire reaction worse. He screamed aloud as the forces within broke out. Jacob dove on Theo, tipping the little wooden table to shield them. There was a colossal flash of blue-white light as a shockwave of force threw everything backwards. The men unfortunate enough to be nearby were struck with the lashing tendrils of power, instantly frying their nervous systems. Another surge of mental energy turned the water in one unlucky individual's cranium to steam, causing that man's head to explode, showering the area with blood, flesh scraps, bone fragments, and brain matter._

_Then, the screaming ended, and the little boy with a mind for a weapon dropped unconscious to the floor, spent. A second passed, the smell of ionized air, burnt flesh and spilt blood wafting on the breeze from the open door. Then, the silence was shattered. More men ran in from the waiting vans outside. They stopped short when they saw the carnage. "My... God! Look at that!"_

"_I-Is that... Beregson?" one man's gaze fell on the headless corpse, and he raced outside, a hand at his mouth._

"_Mr. Sarrom? Where are you!" called another man, surveying the broken furniture, shattered glass, and cracked walls. There was a coughing sound, and then the scorched and crushed wooden table was kicked from the kitchen corner where it had made a shield for those behind it. Jacob Sarrom stood up, brushing himself off. "Mr. Sarrom, are you alright!"_

"_Just fine, but she isn't. She fainted when all the shit hit the fan. Get our medtechs in her to make sure she didn't die on me. Remember, dispose of the bodies." Jacob said, all hints of his previous affection for the woman gone in an instant. The men rushed to comply with their superior's orders. "Oh, and get that kid outta here, too. We're sending him straight to the labs."_

_Leaving the men to their duties, Jacob Sarrom strode outside and to his car. He got in, started the ignition, and drove off. As soon as he was away from the home and cruising down a back road with little traffic, he whipped out his cell and hit an autodial key. Seconds later, he was connected. "Hey, Jacques? It's Jacob, I've acquired a new test subject for your experimentation programs. Yes, everything is taken care of on my end. You'll be ready when he arrives? Excellent! Well, we'll continue this discussion when I'm back at the office, alright? Alright, bye."_

_With that, he disconnected and shut off his cell, tossing it into the passenger seat while he concentrated on his driving. Above him, a storm front was moving across the horizon. In seconds, the full moon who had borne witness to all the madness on the earth below was covered, and rain began to fall._


	2. Chapter 1

**Awakening**

He awoke to cold darkness and stiff immobility. He stirred, eyes fluttering open after countless hours of being shut. He found himself in a metal and glass cylinder, large enough to encapsule himself. He stretched, attempted to move an arm and felt a dull pinching pain. He looked and saw a tube tipped with a needle stuck into a vein in his arm. Moving as if he were an automaton, he took a hold of this tube and simply yanked it out. There was bleeding, but not much. His mind, groggy and disoriented as it was, tried to make sense of his surroundings. Why was he cold? He looked down at himself and found that he was naked, not a stitch of clothing on him. More confusion invaded his mind, but something inside told him to calm down. He did, remembering somehow that he should take things one thing at a time, analytically. Do not fear, do not stress, do not worry. These three phrases seemed to march through his mind like a subconscious mantra.

First things first, he wanted to get out of this tube. He looked and found that for some reason, the glass facing of the capsule had shattered. Jagged shards of glass littered a metal walkway just in front of the cylinder, and still more broken glass rimmed the door to the strange enclosure. Moving carefully, or as carefully as he could with stiffened muscles, he removed the other tubes and shunts to his body and stepped out of the pod. Beyond, darkness reigned in all directions. A cold draft blew in from somewhere, chilling him. He looked around and saw that his tube was one of many. In fact, after several seconds of observation, he found he stood on a raised catwalk. It was part of a network of access paths, stairs, and elevators that linked a massive wall of tubes stacked one atop the other twelve wide and uncounted deep from the floor far below to the ceiling high above. What were these tubes for? In the back of his mind, he knew, but he could not bring himself to search for that forbidden knowledge. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, a little voice spoke anyway. It whispered, _They changed us in these_ in his head. He shook his head, looked around, and suddenly felt alone. He realized there was no sound in this strange place. No voices, no footsteps, nothing. Just the hum of a distant power generator and the sound of his own breathing. He shook his head again, the feeling of disorientation lingering. He wondered if the tubes that had been inserted into his skin had pumped him full of chemicals, drugs to keep him sedated. Then he wondered, if he was in one tube, does that mean every tube had a person trapped inside? Who would do such a thing? He went to the neighboring tube next to his and wiped away the condensation from the viewing port. Inside, a dead face floated in a sea of repugnant greenish-yellow fluids. He checked the next, and the next, until he came to the end of his row. All twelve people had died and were rotting in their respective pods.

Then, the realization came to him. That could have been me! I could have died and be rotting right now, too. Why he wasn't, he couldn't fathom. But, he didn't think that much. At the moment, he couldn't fathom anything beyond the basics. At that moment, he decided to go elsewhere. He had to get out. That became his goal. He walked to the end of the catwalk, down the stairs. He padded down twenty flights before he stopped. The flights kept going, each one with a door leading away. He tried one and found it open, the electric lock useless. He padded down a long metal and concrete hallway, the harsh lights suspended above dead and broken. He wandered for what seemed like hours. At last, he came to a section of the abandoned compound where he found something oddly familiar. A logo, a stylized N and a G curled about to form a seal, printed in blood red against purest white. It emblazoned a wall in a sort of courtyard, where many offices and laboratory rooms had entrances. Above him, he saw a shaft cut from rock and faced with tile. Elevator tubes, six of them, bundled together into a pillar and encased in metal ringed concrete rose into a distance unmeasured. He stood and stared at the logo, pondering its significance. Becoming frustrated with his lack of progress, he turned from the image and randomly chose a room and walked into it. There, he smashed open a closet and took some clothing. They didn't fit exactly, but he had to make due. No longer as cold as before, he turned and saw a mirror image of himself. A full-length mirror had been placed on the opposite wall. He looked at himself, the young but maturing facial features, the lithe, lean body, the storm grey eyes, and short black hair.

"Who am I?" This inquisitive statement, born in his thoughts but breathed to the open air, startled him. Not because his voice was the first he had heard since coming back to consciousness, but because he couldn't remember for the world of him who he was? Where was he born? Who were his parents? _What had happened!_ A sudden fit of rage took him, and with an animalistic cry he smashed the mirror with a clenched fist. "WHO AM I!"

Then, he slumped to the floor on his knees, and tried to remember but it was all in vain. Minutes passed and he became aware of his aching knuckles. He had lacerated them gravely, exposing the bone underneath yielding flesh and sinew. Instantly, he regretted having gotten angry, regretted smashing the mirror. Most of all, he wished the pain would go away. He closed his eyes and just rested there for a moment in that office. Suddenly, he started, and looked to his injury, only to find it gone. The wound had disappeared, leaving nothing behind, not even a scar. What was going on! It wasn't a dream, he still knelt before a smashed mirror. The injury had been there! He refusing to believe it had healed so fast, but what other explanation was there? Then he stopped, and thought back. He had thought vehemently about getting rid of the pain, and moments later, the injury had fled. Could it be? Could that have been what caused this extraordinary instanteous healing process? It was impossible! But, on the other hand, there was only one way to be sure. Steeling himself for what he was about to do, he grabbed up another shard of glass, turned his other arm over, and slit the flesh from wrist to the elbow as deeply as he could. The pain was excruciating, like fire on his arm. The blood flowed like water, and he nearly swooned at the sight of muscle and bone beneath torn meat. But, he held to consciousness, and began to furiously concentrate on this self-inflicted injury. After five seconds, an amazing thing happened. The wound began to mend on its own! Muscle repaired itself, flesh returned and bleeding stopped. Another five seconds passed, and the pain was gone, along with any sign of the deep gash, save for the bloodied shard of glass in his other hand.

He sat back against the wall, his mind racing. How could this be? Where did this ability come from, to heal so fast? The voice from before spoke again from the back of his mind, _They changed us here... They changed us..._

"They changed us...? Who?" The voice inside didn't reply. Now, the nameless young man stood and had a new goal. He had to get out, and find out what had happened here. Why was this place built? Why was there so many dead people and why did he alone survive? He left the office, and went to the elevators. Upon trying them, he found they were inoperable. Next, he searched for the nearest stairs. Finding a stairwell, he started his track upwards. He assumed he was underground, somewhere. To get out, he needed to go up. Up meant freedom from this grim and mysterious place.

Somewhere fifteen floors above the courtyard, he exited the stairwell and found himself near another section of offices and labs. In one, which was labeled for the chief director of research, he found a file cabinet. Hungry for information, and deciding the office of this "chief director" was as good a place as any to begin feeding this hunger, he spent the next hour figuring a way to open it. When he did manage to pry the cabinet lock apart, he found all sorts of folders and printed documents, all baring the seal like the one he saw earlier. NeoGene Corp, was printed in little letters underneath it on these papers. The name meant nothing to him at the moment, but he had a hunch that the company had owned the compound before abandoning it.

Opening the folders at random, he eventually alighted upon passages that bore relevance to what he wanted to find out. He read about a man named Jacques Gaurotte, a leading researcher on advanced psychological evolution in humans and how he worked for NeoGene Corp as their chief director on the Superus Animus Project, one of their most top secret of agendas. Putting that folder aside, he picked up another with the label of the project printed on its front and opened it. Inside, he found dossiers containing the medical reports on approximately a thousand young children, from all walks of life and from several different nations. The reports held everything about their physical health and vital statistics, but lacked names. Accompanying these reports were scans of each child's brain. In each scanned image, the same regions of the brain were circled with red ink. Each image, except his own. He looked down at his own report and brain scan and saw that in the scanned image, his brain showed no red circles. There was only one mark, a blue circle drawn around a small tissue formation nestled between the hemispheres of his brain. Beside it was scribbled notes in an illegible hand.

Laying the reports down on a nearby desk, he sat down and pondered for a moment. "So, I was special, then?" He looked again at the scanned image, eyes narrowing as he focused on the inked circle. "Something about that thing... that growth, in my head..."

_They changed us... They changed us..._

He shook his head, dispelling the growing sense of horror. Something had happened to him while he was here. And, apparently, he wasn't supposed to be here. None of the others who had died were supposed to be here. This was all so very wrong! The nameless young man decided to gather up some of these files, reasoning that they might be worth keeping as reference material in the future, when he began his own research into NeoGene Corp. He rummaged around and found an old briefcase covered in dust. Wiping it off, he opened it and began to pack it with the documents. As he did so, his gaze fell on a thick leather bound book sitting on a nearby shelf. He picked it up and dusted off the cover. It was entitled "The Human Mind: The Key to Ascension", and the author was none other than Jacques Gaurotte. The young man tossed that too into his newly appropriated briefcase, along with the other papers. Snapping it shut, he picked it up and left, headed up once again.

Another ten floors later, he reached a sort of atrium. Above, through dirtied glass, he could see stars and a crescent moon. He hurried through more hallways, half choked with fallen masonry and other debris, before exiting a doorway that had been cunningly built into the side of a mountain. Outside, he found himself in the middle of no where, a forest extending in every direction, an endless sea of greenery and foliage. He looked around and then realized that this place had been built in secret, a hidden research laboratory far from prying eyes. NeoGene Corp looked more and more like the enemy, hiding like this.

Picking a direction at random, he started off into the forest. He didn't know where he was going, and he didn't care how long it would take him to get somewhere, anywhere really. But he did know he had to find some answers. Especially to one question that burned the hottest, "Who am I?"


	3. Chapter 2

**Learning**

The nameless young man now walked alone through the forest. Through the thickly crossing branches above, he saw the night sky. Stars could be seen through intermittent breaks in the cloud cover overhead. The smell of rain was thick on the wind, and there was a breeze building from the west. There was a change in the air coming. He had walked through this woodland realm for a day now since leaving the hidden research compound. He still carried the briefcase filled with documents, and was still dressed for the most part. However, an entanglement with an angry bear and a tall pine had cost him an overcoat. Not that it mattered really, since the days were rather warm and the nights not so chilling. Along the way, he had seen little animal life. The bear he had somehow ticked off was an exception, as was a pack of wolves that he had seen as the sun set, on a ridge not far away. The pack leader's silhouette had been majestic against the crescent moon that had framed him in the sky.

Now, he followed a stream downhill, through the descending slopes of the foothills of the mountain he had exited a day ago. Somehow, he felt that if he kept going in this direction, he would eventually find a road, or something that would lead him to a town or a city. He hoped he did soon, because he was ravenously hungry. He hadn't eaten anything since waking up. He realized earlier that a sort of nutrient rich liquid must have also been pumped into him when he had been hooked up to the machinery back at the compound, feeding him while he was kept under. Now, starved of that liquid, his body went back to natural means. It ached with hunger, making loud rumbling and gurgling sounds. He needed to eat, and soon. He began to feel weak. A few steps more, and he stopped beside a tree to rest, sitting atop an upraised root. Sitting back against the rough bark of the tree's trunk, he began to think to himself. What if he didn't find a way to civilization for a while? How would he survive then? He didn't know how to hunt, or what natural things were good to eat. What was he going to do.

Suddenly, he caught a scent on the air. A smell that set off bells in his head. Smoke! The smell of a wood fire blazing. But, what had set this fire? Was it natural, a wild fire? No, he knew it was too damp and cool for such a thing. Perhaps it was set by a camper, a fire to cook by? That sounded more logical. His stomach rumbled again and reminded him about his dire need for food. He got up and decided to follow the scent of the fire to its source, at the very least appeasing his curiosity and perhaps, if he were lucky, scoring a meal from a friendly woods person. He walked ahead, winding his way, all the while heading in the direction he thought the scent drifted from. Soon, he came to the edge of a grassy clearing. A tent and fire pit had been prepared, and bags of gear and provisions had been tossed down in a heap nearby. However, there was signs of a struggle, a violent confrontation. Not far away, a body lay face down on the ground. He waited, a curious feeling building inside. Whoever had hurt that person was nearby. He had to be careful. He circled around till he could approach the campsite from the shortest distance, and have cover nearby in case he needed it. Then, he approached the unmoving form.

Upon closer inspection, it was a middle aged man. He was dressed in wilderness gear, but had been stabbed in the back. He had bled for some time. The nameless young man carefully placed a hand on the man's back. There was a flash in his vision, and suddenly, he could hear the man's dying heartbeat. He was still alive! Elated, but still wary of the situation, he decided to do a little experiment. If he could heal grievous wounds upon his own body, could he possibly project his healing ability into the bodies of others? It was worth a try, he decided. He set his briefcase beside him on the grass. Carefully, he took a hold of the offending blade and slowly pulled it out. It came out with a sickening slurping sound. Tossing the soiled blade away in disgust, the young man then applied his hands to the wound. Ignoring the warm, vicious blood sticking to his palms and swelling up between his fingers, he began to concentrate. In his mind, he willed for the injury to heal, and the man to be well again. Slowly, it worked, much to his satisfaction and relief. The wound closed, the blood dried, and with a sudden sucking gasp, the man awoke as if from sleeping beneath water. He flailed about, until his bulging eyes and crazed gaze fell upon the young man kneeling beside him.

"Y-you! You... you... you healed me? How is that possible! I should have been dead Wait, how do I know that!" the man rambled, practically hyperventilating. His hands shook, and it seemed that he was experiencing a sort of shock. The young man sat back and watched warily, wondering if perhaps this was a side-affect of his miraculous healing ability. Slowly though, over the next five minutes, the man calmed.

The young man helped him to his feet. "Are you okay, now? What happened, why were you so gravely injured?"

"I... I don't remember, rightly... My daughter, Sharleen, and I, we were camping on our vacation... when... OH MY GOD! Sharleen! That, that monster took her!" the man cried out, going from mostly mystified to stark raving frantic in about a second.

"Monster?" the young man echoed, not sure if he had heard right. The man suddenly grasped him about the shoulders, "Yes! A... a criminal, or something! He came upon us as we slept. I felt his eyes on us, and I awoke to find him standing over my daughter... with a horrible hunger in his eyes! I attacked him, tried to scare him off, but it was no use! He pulled that big, serrated hunting knife on me, and stabbed me..."

"And... now, thinking your dead, he kidnapped your daughter?" the young man said. The poor man nodded, his eyes tearing up. The sight of this unfortunate soul so distraught, and the tale of such heartless brutality performed upon such unsuspecting innocence, it moved something inside the young man. His face took on a grim resolve, his eyes steely. "I'll get her back."

"What! Are you INSANE!" the man screeched, "That bloodthirsty goon would eviscerate you both! Listen, son, I really appreciate your selflessness, but..."

The young man turned and started for the far edge of the clearing, and said over his shoulder, "Don't worry, I'm much more than I appear to be!"

Alone, the man stared after the strange young man who had mysteriously saved his life. "You had better hope so."

The young man tramped once more into the brush. He wasn't sure where to begin. A murderer living out in the hinterlands, preying on campers and such, wouldn't likely hang around the camps he hit for very long. Logic dictated that such an individual would have a hideout, a camp of his own, somewhere. And, such an individual would be well versed in how to survive in the forest, far from civilization. That was two strikes against the young man, two disadvantages he had to overcome. His one saving grace, the strange abilities that he had discovered in his two days of consciousness since waking up in the secret lab. He could heal, very fast, instanteously if he really thought about it. He would have to use such a power to its fullest affect, as it was his only advantage. So, as he walked, he tried to think about what people leave in their passing in a place like the forest. Footprints in the soil, threads of cloth and fabric in the bark of trees, broken twigs, bent grass, disturbed fallen leaves. He looked to the ground before him and searched for these things. For a while, he just saw the forest floor as a chaotic whole. Then, suddenly, as if a switch had been thrown behind his eyes, in his mind, things began to change. He was at once able to discern minute environmental details. A path, once hidden, now became visible to him. A footprint loomed up from the dirt. Feeling compelled by some strange feeling, he bent down and touched it...

**FLASH!**

_A blurred image coalesces in the darkened vision of the young man. A tall, burly figure dressed in hunter's camouflaged gear hurried along through the forest undergrowth. Behind him, he had left a innocent man bleeding to death from a fatal knife wound. With him, he drags a sobbing, struggling girl, fifteen or sixteen years of age..._

**FLASH!**

_Another image forms, this time of a hidden den amidst a certain copse of trees. The pattern of leaves and branches that enshroud the lair from outside view reeks of unnatural design. The taint of malice and indifference permeates the surroundings..._

**FLASH!**

With a sudden gasp of breathe, the young man jerks upright, eyes fluttering as he nearly falls over. He leaned against a nearby tree, feeling very uneasy with himself. What had just happened? Was that some sort of... vision? Yes, that was exactly what it was! A vision! A vision of the murdering son of a bitch who knifed that nice man, back there, and took off with his daughter to do Lord knows what! Again, the young man felt something inside him, a certain angry stirring. A furious buzz had begun in his head, which he didn't really take notice of until now. He didn't know what was going on, not really. But, he was thankful that his... gifts... allowed him such insights. Empowered with the knowledge of his quarry, he took off at a sprint. He followed the path left by the offender, and it wasn't long before he saw the killer's hideout ahead of him. The sounds of cruel laughter and wretched sobbing wafted on the breeze. The young man swallowed, his fists tightening, eyes narrowing. He screwed up his courage and stalked forward. Moving carefully, avoiding dried leaves and fallen twigs that might give him away, he approached the expertly crafted lair and peeked into the interior.

Within, a small campfire had been banked in a central firepit. The scraps and bones of several animals littered one side of the enclosure, along with a makeshift sleeping area. It was there that the young girl had been unceremoniously tossed, her clothing soiled and torn by her rough passage through the woods. The murderer stood over her, smiling maliciously. The young man took appraisal of him. He stood at least six foot one, and seemed to be made of all muscle. He guessed that the man must have weighed somewhere around two hundred, maybe two hundred ten. He wore camouflaged pants, a camouflaged jacket without a shirt, and a pair of work boots. Most importantly, he didn't seem to have another weapon. He had left his hunting knife back at the other campsite. _But, was he completely unarmed_? A funny feeling told the young man that a dangerous individual like this would never deprive himself of a means of inflicting harm, or potentially saving his skin in a tight spot. Still, he thought, he had to do something. Plus, he had his special gift of accelerated healing. So, he straightened himself up, and made himself known. "Hello there, stranger."

The murderer whirled around with a foul curse. To the young man's utter disappointment, he pulled a rather large handgun out from a holster on his far hip and aimed it squarely at his center of mass. "Just who the fuck are you! How the flaming hell did you find me!"

Taking a light breathe, the young man replied, "I found a man not too far away who had been badly injured. I helped him, and he told me a monster somewhat like you attacked him and dragged off his daughter. I came to get her back."

The murderer laughed, grinning impertinently, "Yeah, and so what? That old fogey is probably dead by now, no matter whatever help you gave him, punk! Plus, when you are forced to live out here with little to no contact with the civilized world, you tend to get lonely! So, I took her, yes... and here she stays! That is, unless... heheheh... _you_ can do something about it."

"Well, if you won't be reasonable, I _will_ do something about it." the nameless young man replied, and readied himself. He judged the distance between the two of them, his eyes locked on the weapon held by the big brute. He estimated at least one shot would be fired before he could grapple with his foe. One shot could be potentially fatal. But, if he could move fast enough and get that gun away from him, then he'd might have a chance. He knew it was probably a long shot, but he realized it was probably worth a try. He decided all of that inside of a couple seconds, before throwing himself into a lunging dash forward. There was a scream from somewhere on his right, an ear-shattering explosion that deafened him, the sound of something rushing by his ear incredibly fast, and then the solid impact of his charging frame into the form of his enemy. Surprisingly, he had enough momentum to carry the murderer backwards a few steps, until he rammed him up against a nearby tree trunk. The tackle must have been enough to wind his foe, because he gasped for breathe while the young man grabbed the wrist of the hand with the gun and slammed it savagely against the tree trunk with all the strength he could muster, thinking of disarming his foe quickly while he had a chance. There was a sickening crack, and the murderer howled in pain as the gun fell from his now limp grasp.

With an enraged growl, he head butted the young man and then shoved him back., causing him to trip and fall. "Ugh! You... you little FUCK!" he grunted, his voice tinged with agonizing pain as he cradled his freshly , but still more filled with rage. He marched forward, lifted a boot, and swung with all his strength. The young man rolled, avoided the kick aimed for his ribs, and got back to his feet. He darted in and threw a punch, catching the murderer in the belly. He threw another, higher, into the solar plexus. But, his enemy was cunning, and turned as the blow connected and avoided most of the affect of the attack. His other arm with the good wrist shot out and socked the young man square in the face. He felt something crumple, and then realized his nose had been broken. The pain was bad, but the blood pouring down like water out of a fawcett was worse. Growling, the young man ignored the pain and struck back, a quick snap kick to the groin. With a strangled yelp, the murderer was on his knees, his good hand clasping his aching anatomy. The young man took a step back, a hand to his throbbing nose. Taking the momentary lapse in the melee, he focused on his pain and began to envision it healing. There was a curious feeling as the cartilage and bone straightened and mended, but the pain melted away soon after. Wiping the remnants of blood from his newly repaired nose, the young man focused again on his enemy, who still squirmed on the ground in genital discomfort. "Had enough yet, or do you want to add another broken limb to your list of injuries?"

"Nnnggh... t-think your so tough, huh? Well... I'll show you! No little punk is going to take me down after all this time, no way!" the murderer shouted. With that, he sprung from his seemingly compromised position on the ground and tackled the young man to the ground. The young man was slammed down against the hard earth, his head striking a large stone embedded in the ground. The jarring blow to his cranium dazed him, giving his enemy enough of an opportunity to wrap his good arm around the young man's neck tightly. With a triumphant cackle, the murderer began to pull up and back, bending the young man's neck in a way nature did not intend. The lack of oxygen and the increasing tension on his neck snapped the nameless youth out of his stupor. Desperately, he thrashed, trying to work his way out of the man's deadly choke hold. In the midst of his thrashing, he drove his elbow sharply into the solar plexus of the man. The blow was strong enough to forcibly break the hold on his neck and was completely unexpected, driving the murderer backwards to a pile of pre-cut wood pieces.

Gasping for breathe, the young man got up to his knees, a hand rubbing the soreness out of his neck as he glared at his foe. The big man was getting up again, malice and angry fire in his eyes. He picked up a hatchet that had been left at the stack of wood, and charged the young man without warning. Caught of guard this time, the young man was knocked to the ground, and kicked under the chin to stun him. Laughing darkly, the murderer ran a finger along the razor sharp hatchet blade. "Well, kid... that fight wasn't so bad! Too bad your still so weak and pathetic, or else you would have had me back there. I'm not going to give you a second chance. Now, lay still, so that I can make your passing from this world all the quicker!" The flash of the fire on metal as the hatchet was raised up broke the stunning affect on the young man. He turned and saw the gun laying just out of reach. He stretched out a hand and thought hard and fast. The gun obeyed the unseen summons given to it and hopped into his outstretched hand. The murderer shouted as he swung down. The young man shouted as he whirled face-up on the ground, aimed the gun, and pulled the trigger as fast as he could. Another deafening explosion stole the sound out of the air in the little enclosure.

The murderer had frozen in mid-swing, his mouth open and eyes bugging wide in horrified disbelief. He staggered back a couple of steps, his good hand opening limply to drop his hatchet as he moved to touch the neatly drilled hole through his chest, leaking his lifeblood down his front and onto the ground. He looked at the young man, lips quivering feebly, before the light left his eyes and he collapsed like falling timber into a dead heap, a pool of crimson gathering underneath him. The young man grit his teeth and tossed the hot gun from his grasp, somewhere in the brush. He got up an dusted himself off and then and went over to the fallen criminal. He kicked the man in the ribs lightly, and the body fell over on its side. He nodded to himself, certain the man was dead and not faking. _A curious thing_, he thought to himself. _I just killed this man. Should I feel badly? I took a life, did I not? _He went and knelt by the unmoving form of the girl. She had passed out, he realized. _Probably when the fight had begun_, he surmised. _But I killed in self defense. If I had not, I would be dead now... And so would this innocent soul. I couldn't have just beat him and expected him to run off into the forest, never to seek vengeance. _He nodded to himself again, _Yes, I did the right thing._

The girl showed no signs of coming to any time soon. The young man didn't know what he should do. Eventually, he decided to get her as far away from the corpse as possible, lest she awake and become even more distraught upon observing it. Carefully, he picked her up in his arms, and went back the way he had come.

The middle aged man sat at his camp's firepit amidst the forest clearing, staring into the flames. He looked up, hearing the rustling of the brush. His heart leapt with joy and his mind reeled with disbelief as he saw who was coming out of the forest. "Sharleen! You found Sharleen, oh God bless you!"

The young man smiled as he laid Sharleen down on a sleeping bag laid out for her by her father. "Is she okay?"

"She fainted, and is shaken, but otherwise should be fine." the young man replied. The older man got up with a snap of his fingers and rushed off to rummage through the tent nearby. "The first aid kit! It has smelling salts just for an occasion like this."

He came back with a white box with a red cross painted boldly on all sides. Opening it, he took out small plastic packets. Opening them, he pulled out cloth bags that gave off a strong scent. Then, he wafting them under his daughter's nose. A few moments later, she stirs, and stretches, and opens her eyes.

"Daddy!" she lunges into the arms of her father, who hugs her back fervently. The young man smiles and gives them a moment together. He walks over to the briefcase that had been left in he grass and picks it up, looks it over. It was still intact. He looks back and sees the man and his daughter standing now, together, looking at him with grateful smiles. "Listen, kid, I don't know how to thank you enough for getting my daughter back."

"Yeah, thanks for saving me from that wacko forest-freak!" Sharleen added, smiling radiantly. The young man smiled back, "Well, there really is not need for..."

As if on cue, his stomach issues forth the loudest rumbling gurgle yet, and he remembers he still hadn't had anything to eat. He chuckles sheepishly and scratches the back of his head. "Um... I guess there is one thing..."


	4. Chapter 3

**Honing**

The young man trudges through the forest once again. It's midday, and the sun filters down through the leaves of the trees all around. Having eaten his fill and had a good night's sleep, he had set out from the campsite of the lucky man, whose name was Roger Sanderson, and his daughter Sharleen. He had asked them about any nearby towns or cities, and had been kindly surprised to learn that Jump city was not more than a few miles away. In fact, they had homes in that city. Thanking them for the meal, the chance to rest, and the information, he left them and struck out in the direction they had indicated.

That had been hours ago. Now, as he walked along, he grew bored. Boredom turned to curiosity. He stopped, opened the briefcase, and pulled out the research book he had stowed inside. Closing the briefcase, he resumed walking, the book splayed open in one hand while he carried the case in the other. He read as he walked, using a thumb to turn the page as he went.

_Chapter 1: The Mind Itself_

_The human mind. A living computer so advanced, that no other creature in the animal kingdom has reproduced it in all its complex glory. A organ so important, that we cease to function if it is damaged. So mysterious, that we are only beginning to realize its inner workings. So powerful, that things like astral sensitivity, psychic surgery, faith healing, stigmata, and remote viewing are possible. Possible through the sheer power of the mind. Mankind has always been defined by how we use our incredible intelligence. We shall continue to be defined, in fact changed, by how we develop that intelligence. Consider this: we use a mere fraction of our brain's functional capacity. Over ninety percent of the human brain is left untapped. What would be possible if we were to tap this latent reservoir of mental ability? It is simple. My studies show that the species homo sapiens, in it's current state, has reached a physically and mentally evolved state to make the next leap. The leap to allowing our brains to ascend to another level, altogether. This book is my treatise on the subject of bringing forth the next in the line of homo sapiens, homo superus animus..._

The young man went on to read several more passages from the first chapter. This man, Jacques Gaurotte, was more than certain that mankind could become some sort of super being if only he could access all the potential of his highly advanced brain. He went on to list a sort of leveling system, to rate the development of what he would call a "psionically gifted individual" and all the powers associated with each level. A level E psion would be a person who has just "awakened" to their potential. They would soon learn psionic healing, and would be able to pick up and interpret latent psychic imprints in the environment. The young man knew that was what he must be. He looked to see what a level D psion could do. Force projection, telepathy, and precognition were the next abilities to manifest. The last thing he read before putting the book away, was that these manifestations of his latent mind potential could be triggered by experimentation with his abilities. Mr. Gaurotte hinted there could be possibly unlimited techniques for the use of psionic energy, and that only regular experimentation could reveal them all.

That made sense, as all he had been doing was trying different things with his powers. First healing himself, than healing others. He wondered what else he could do. However, thoughts about his power were swept away, as the forest suddenly ended and he came into a cleared field. A highway stretched from one horizon to the next. On the far horizon, there loomed a towering sky rise. "That, I presume, must be Jump City."

An hour and a half later, he waves thanks to a friendly, old big rig driver, who had kindly allowed him to catch a ride into town. The large commercial transport truck lumbered off down the busy street nearly clogged with smaller private vehicles, like a whale amidst clouds of swirling fish. The sidewalks were packed with people of every station, race, and nationality. They swarmed this way, and then that way. Always in motion, always on the go. The sound of rushing traffic, myriad footsteps, and all the other sounds of urban life echoed off of the tall glass, mortar, and metal buildings. Having no idea where to go or what to do, the young man decided to just meander around. He walked down one street, turned a corner, and went down another. He looked at all the shops and offices, and got himself lost in all the strange new sights and scents. But, a brand new sound snapped him out of it, the sound of people screaming and running.

"Fools! No one can escape the power of Light!" an arrogant, over theatrical voice shouted over the sound of terror. The young man followed the sound of the voice, passing citizens as they fled in the other direction, and rounded a corner. There, he beheld the owner of the voice. A tall, thin man with wild eyes and a scraggly black goatee, dressed in a black and silver uniform, machinery encasing his hands and resting on his back stood amidst the street. Aiming his gauntleted hands at a nearby armored car parked at the curb, the man issued forth a pulsating beam of pure coherent light energy. The blast slammed the car in the side, smashing the armored plating like tin foil. Bags of cash fell out and littered ground. The man laughed in triumphant, walked over, and bent down on one knee to survey his windfall.

The young man watched this strange man for a moment. Obviously, this was a crime. He wondered if he should step in with his special abilities. A few moments later, he decided he probably wasn't experienced enough yet. He watched as a half dozen police cruisers drove up and disgorged almost double the number officers. They took up covered positions surrounding the offender, aiming their service revolvers and police issue shotguns at him. One of them raised a hand-held loudspeaker to his lips and called out, "Dr. Light, this is the Jump City Police! We've got you surrounded, and out numbered twelve to one! Give yourself up or else, we'll be forced to exert deadly force!"

This so called Dr. Light replied by putting his hands on his hips imperiously and laughing. "You insignificant insects don't have what it takes to stand up to the Light! Now, I'm feeling especially generous today. I'll allow you to leave unharmed, if you do so now." He waited, and the police men made no signs of leaving. At this, he frowned deeply, and said, "Fine! Throw my gracious generosity away, just like you throw away your lives! So be it! Prepare to feel the wrath of Dr. Light!"

"Waste the bastard!" one police officer cried, and the whole lot of them opened up fire. Dr. Light reacted by raising a spherical barrier of light energy around him, which caught the incoming firepower easily. Laughing, secure in his power, the villain then unleashed the shield into a concentrated beam of light energy. He swept the beam and raked through the police cars in a full circle. The police officers had to run for it as the beam neared their respective vehicles, as the intense energy caused each car to explode violently. Having lost their cover, the cops turned tail and ran. Dr. Light made sure they left, slinging a volley or two of light energy after them. The young man knew then that he had no choice. He started forward, walking past the wreckage of one of the burning police cars. "Hey! Mr. Sunshine, over here!"

Dr. Light turned abruptly. He smirked with obvious amusement as his gaze fell on the rather unassuming young man who walked out to challenge him. "What's this? A mere child steps forth to face Dr. Light in all his glorious power? Listen, boy, I have no time for you!"

The young man smirked at him. "Man, you sure are full of yourself! Are you this arrogant all the time?"

Dr. Light seethed with anger, his wounded pride starting to smart. He pointed menacingly at the youth. "Beware, you little maggot! My power over light is more than enough might to snuff out your life, like a candle in a windstorm. I would watch what I say!"

"Oh, really?" the young man replied, not fazed in the slightest, "Well, I'd quit diluting myself. Your all show and no substance, I bet. Might be well and good scaring the police with a little light show, but I'm no so easily intimidated."

Dr. Light smiled, and generated a ball of hotly glowing energy between his gauntleted hands. "Very well. If it's substance you want, that it will be substance you get! You'll learn to respect me, boy. Let me enlighten you!" Without further warning, he thrust out his hands and hurled the ball. The boy gasped in surprise and disappeared in a flash of impossibly bright light and a large explosion. Dr. Light smiled, and seeing only a crater left where his foolish young challenger stood, turned his back to gather up his loot.

"Hey! It's not polite to turn your back on someone!" a voice cried out. Dr. Light whirled, eyes bugging in surprise. "It's not... Ugh!" His words were cut off prematurely by a rather savage punch uppercutting him in the chin. He was lifted straight up off the ground, his head snapped backwards violently as he sailed through the air to land hard on his back. The young man stood, unscathed, with one fist still locked in the end of his punch. Dr. Light shook his head to clear it of the disorienting affects of the punch, just in time to be hoisted to his feet by the strange young man. The young man stared him straight in the eye, both fists clenched in the material of the villain's uniform, keeping a tight grip on him.

"Listen here, Light. I've only seen you for a few minutes, but that's all the time I need to know what drives you. You're just a greedy little man, aren't you? Using technology that should be allowed to benefit the world to instead enrich yourself, and to flaunt your otherwise unusual power over others less fortunate than you. How childish! Now, _I'll_ give _you_ a chance to give up, before I get serious. Understand?"

"Hmmm... I seem to have misjudged you, boy." Dr. Light replied, not at all cowed by the stern expression or the rather menacing words. "Your obviously faster than I anticipated. Fast enough to evade even my light-based attacks. Tell me, then... are you faced enough to evade this?" With a battlecry, he thrust his palms into the boy's chest and triggered both gauntlets to unleash their power. The young man was blasted backwards, carried by twin beams of golden-white energy before being driven into a wall hard enough to make the building's facade crack.

Dusting himself off, Dr. Light grinned and looked over at his fallen foe expecting him to be finished. Only, the youth was up once more, looking a little scuffed and perhaps a bit bruised, but not overly injured. The villain narrowed his eyes and said, "Impressive, even after that, you still manage to pick yourself up. No matter, I'm not even beginning to fade!"

The young man smiled, and said, "Good, because it's time to put out your lights!" He charged, and Dr. Light fired blast after blast of concentrated light at him. Infuriatingly, though, the stranger managed to stay one step ahead of him. He dodged the attacks, weaving around the small craters left behind gracefully, before closing with Dr. Light and beginning to rain punch after punch on him. The good Doctor tried to defend himself, blocking with his gauntlets, only he found himself moving too slow. Again, it was like the young man managed to see his defensive stances before he took them, and planned to strike around them accordingly. This annoyed the prideful Dr. Light to no end. And, to make matters worse, the brat actually had the nerve to keep smirking throughout the whole display!

"Enough!" Dr. Light cried, rage plain on his face. He charged a massive sphere of light energy and sent forth a massive beam attack. "Feel the true power of Light, and burn under it!"

"Whoa!" The youth dodged in slow motion as the titanic attack sailed past him, and began to track him. He moved as fast as he could, zig-zagging in Dr. Light's general direction before blowing into him full-bore with a tackle. The surprised villain's aim walked skyward at that, before being shut down for good. The young man cocked back a fist and socked the arrogant Dr. Light square in the face, knocking him out. Panting, the young man stood up and regarded his foe. "Finally... he's quiet, and good riddance..."

Yet, no sooner had he said that then a shouts once more pierced the air. He turned, hearing masonry crumble, and saw not too far away a teenaged girl and four men in black suits as they looked up. Part of the building they had been walking past had been struck by the last of Dr. Light's final attack, carving a large slab of the mortar and concrete from the side and roof of the building. It began to fall, several smaller chunks knocking the men around the girl to the ground. People who had returned as soon as Dr. Light had been defeated gasped and shouted, some crying while others just gaped in horror. "Somebody, save them!"

Responding as if to the anonymous call for help, the young man knew what he had to do. Operating on some gut feeling, some inner instinct, he ran from the fallen villain's unmoving form towards the sight of the falling debris. He ran till he stood in the midst of the girl and the four men accompanying her. Silently, he raised his arms, hands up with palms out, as if he was planning to catch the falling rumble. He reached out with his mind, straining and focusing all his ability towards the danger above. The screaming and shouting ended, turning to shouts of wonder and amazement as the falling debris slowly stopped its deadly descent. It floated gently down into two piles on either side of the innocents whom he shielded. When it was over, the young man fell to his knees and tried not to fall unconscious. In his effort, he did not see the rush of activity that followed. Police units converged on the scene of the fallen Dr. Light, bringing the villain into their custody as they secured the nearly stolen cash. Emergency medical crews converged on the girl and the four men, who had begun to come around.

And, the five special individuals who had responded to a crime report, and had arrived just in time to see everything happen...


	5. Chapter 4

**Conversing**

"Dude, are you alright?" A voice, high-pitched and somewhat annoying, pierced the aching haze that swirled around the young man's throbbing head. He knelt on the sidewalk and winced in pain, eyes closed tight and a hand gently to his temple, "Not so loud, please. I've got one helluva migraine..."

"Oh, uh... sorry, dude." the voice replied. Another voice spoke up, a voice filled with authority and confidence. "Better let him recover, Beast Boy."

"Aw, come on! The guy just ran around and punched out ole Lightbulb, over there! How hard could that have been?" the voice belonging to this "Beast Boy", replied. Yet another voice interjected, a voice obviously belonging to a female, and a stolid-sounding one at that.

"He just exerted his mind far harder than you ever have, Beast Boy. And, I can tell he's suffering from a severe bout of aftersickness." the voice paused, and the young man felt someone kneel beside him. "Here, let me help..." A cool, soft hand alighted on his forehead and slowly the pain began to lessen. The haze that obstructed his sight and the terrible pain, all of it melted away. The hand left him and the person who it belonged to moved away. "There, does that feel better?"

Taking a deep breathe, the young man slowly opened his eyes. Everything was blurry and swimming before him for a moment, as if he was viewing everything from underwater. Then, the image refocused, and his eyes returned to normal. He blinked a few times, looking first from one person to the next. Then, with a groan, he closed his eyes and covered them with his hands.

Another voice, this time denoting someone of large build and jovial nature, spoke up. "Yo, dawg, is something still the matter with your head?"

"Ugh, it must be... I-I'm hallucinating!" the young man replied, sounding very troubled, "I saw a green ELF, an orange skinned girl with all GREEN eyes, a gray skinned girl with PURPLE hair! Oh man, I wish this aftersickness or whatever it is would just stop!"

There was a weighted silence from the people around him. A sound like someone suppressing laughter, then a sound like someone just got hit in the ribs. Someone sighed in exasperation. Clearing her throat, the third voice responded, "Your not hallucinating, and I took away the worst of the aftersickness."

"Then, that means..." the young man replied, opening his eyes again, "That means, that what I'm seeing is really real, right?" He points to the short, green skinned and green haired elf standing not too far away, "That's you, really you?

"Uh, yeah... Hello! I'm Beast Boy, and everyone knows I look this way!" the elf replied, looking a bit perturbed. Indignant, actually.

"Yes! And, I am really real, as well. Everyone from Tamaran has my tone of the skin." the orange skinned, red haired girl replied, smiling so wide that the young man thought perhaps she'd split her face in two. She went over and hugged the grey girl with the robes, "Friend Raven is real as well, in all her pale pigment and lavender follicle glory!"

"Starfire, hug me again..." she grated, teeth bared, "And, it will be a gross understatement to say that there will be HELL to pay!"

"Eeep!" the Starfire girl released Raven in a heartbeat, hands clasped before her as she added, "Many apologies, friend Raven. I did not mean to intrude on your space of personal."

"Um... I've got one question, in light of all of this..." the young man said, scratching the back of his head in puzzlement. "Just who the hell are you guys?"

They all exchanged puzzled glances with one another. "Your kidding, right?" the one named Raven deadpanned.

"Uh... no, I'm not..." the young man replied, "Obviously, I'm missing something here. Mind filling me in?"

Another shared glance, this time more concerned than puzzled. Mystified, perhaps. Finally, the apparent leader, the one whose voice had spoken second and who appeared to be dressed in some sort of uniform or costume, said, "We're the Teen Titans, a team of crime fighters based here in Jump City. I'm Robin..."

The tall, half-mechanized one pushed him aside, a large metallic hand offered, "Cyborg's the name, and kickin' ass is the game!"

"Yes, and I am Koriandr, of Tamaran." the orange skinned girl said, smiling fit to strain a muscle. "However, my friends call me Starfire. Do you wish to be my friend also?"

The young man simpered, and grinned uneasily, not sure what to say. "Um... Sure?" No sooner than he had said that then he was swept up in a bone crushing hug as Starfire whirled around in the air, giggling with girlish glee.

"Starfire, perhaps you had but him down? He's beginning to turn a very interesting shade of nauseated green and air-deprived blue." Raven suggested in a monotone. Starfire abruptly released the young man, who staggered a few steps from the sheer agony of oxygen deprivation. "Many apologies, new friend! I oftentimes must remember my innate strength is significantly greater than the average Terran."

"Q-quite... alright! No, d-damage done..." the young man said. He blinked, "I think..." "That's Raven." Robin said, and motioned to the green elf, "And, of course, this is Beast Boy."

"So, you're the Teen Titans, huh? Crime fighters?" the young man said, "So, where were you guys when that light-obsessed freak was running amok?"

If that question hit a mark inside the Titan's leader, he didn't let it show. "Rest assured, we were on the way to deal with the matter." Robin replied, "However, since you were here and seemingly able to handle Dr. Light, there was little else for us to do."

"Yeah, man, you've got some pretty sweet moves." Cyborg added, "I mean, Dr. Light is pretty much an amateur and everything, but still, you've got talent."

"Uh, thanks, I guess..." the young man replied. "But, talent for what?" Robin smirked enigmatically, "Have you ever considered becoming a Teen Titan?"

"Well, not exactly... having heard of you guys just recently, and all..." the young man replied. At this, Beast Boy and Cyborg chortled. Raven sighed in aggravation and Starfire wondered what was so funny as Robin frowned. When he got over the foolishness of his last question, he cleared his throat and said, "Good point, there. In that case, how about we show you around? Give you a tour of the city, perhaps show you the Titan's Tower."

"That would be cool, sure." the young man replied. Robin smiled. "Great. Then, let's get started." They started to walk towards a very advanced looking car parked nearby. "By the way, you haven't told us your name yet." Raven remarked.. At that, the young man replied, "I can't give you that which I don't know, I'm afraid."

They all froze and turned to look at him, puzzled expressions gracing their facial features. Beast Boy spoke, saying, "Dude, are you telling us you don't know your own name?"

"Please, how can you not know your own name?" Starfire added, both concerned and mystified at the same time.

The young man replied, "Well, that's a long and convoluted story, really..."

Hours later, after having driven around the city for a while, the Teen Titans and their strange guest sat in the main room of the Titans Tower. The young man had been doing his best to explain to them all that he knew about himself from the time he had woke up in the abandoned research facility to when he had saved those innocent people from the collapsing rumble. The glass center table sitting before the large, wrap-around couch was covered with the research papers and documents taken from his briefcase, which sat on the floor nearby.

"So, let me get this straight." Robin said at length, "You woke up in a strange underground installation built for God-knows-what, found out that you were being experimented on, and then realized you couldn't remember your name or anything about your past?"

"Yeah, that pretty much sums it up nicely." the young man replied from where he stood, leaning against the wall.

"Is it just me, or does that sound really cliched?" Beast Boy abruptly blurted out, a silly grin on his face. The young man stared at him, "Excuse me?"

"Well, BB does have a point." Cyborg said, arms folded in front of him, "That's a story most meta humans will give."

"Nevermind the apparent cliched-ness of it all. Make no mistake, he has been very seriously wronged." Robin replied seriously.

"Yes, it is very unfortunate and cruel how you were used." Starfire added, looking very sad.

"Hey, cheer up! I don't really dwell on that. Sure, someone messed with me, but that's how I got these powers, right?" the stranger said, smiling somewhat. "All I want now are answers. My identity, my past, and a reason for it all."

"I understand your concerns, and I can't say I don't blame you. Getting those answers won't be easy, but it will bring closure to all of this. The Teen Titans will help you as much as they possibly can in this matter."

"Well, thanks... I appreciate that very much." the stranger replied, "But, I'm afraid I wouldn't know how to repay you."

"About that, can you give us one moment to speak together, as a team?" Robin asked. The young man nodded, and started for the main corridor, "Sure, speak away. I'll... just wait down the hallway, or something."

When they were sure he was out of earshot, Cyborg began, "So, Robin, your serious about getting this guy to join the Titans?"

"Why not? You saw the way he moved in battle against Doctor Light. You saw how he dealt with the falling building facade. He's got some potential." Robin relied.

"But, don't we already have a person with mind powers on the team already?" Beast Boy inquired.

"Yes, but my mental abilities are more along the lines of defense. I have to balance them with my magic. He may be entirely devoted to developing his power and becoming more versatile on levels I can only imagine." Raven replied.

"Let me be honest, I always intended on expanding our ranks." Robin said, "Maybe not all at once, but over time. With recruits who stand to add the most new capabilities to our options when dealing with villains. I think we should start with him."

"I for one thing it is a glorious idea, Robin!" Starfire exclaimed, smiling all the more. "He must desperately seek companionship, alone in this world without knowing truly who he is or what do to. I feel that it would be exceedingly cruel of us to not have him join our team for the fighting of the crime."

Robin smiled too, and looked over at the others. "Alright, that's one vote for. What about you Cyborg? Beast Boy?"

"I've got nothing against it." Cyborg replied, and elbowed Beast Boy, who sat nearly asleep next to him, "How about you, BB?"

"Huh! What! What's happening!"

"Beast Boy, we're voting to see whether or not to add him to the team." Robin told him, trying not to get angry with him for falling asleep during an important team meeting.

"Oh, uh... Sure, why not?" Beast Boy replied, smiling sheepishly. Robin turned his gaze next to Raven. "As long as we're careful, than yes... I see nothing wrong with making him an addition to the Team. But, I must warn you, I was getting strange feelings from him when he was giving his story. There's something about him, something I can't put my finger on, that doesn't feel right."

"Then it's settled, he'll join the team." Robin replied. "Starfire, would you please bring him back in here?"

"Certainly, Robin." Starfire left and returned a few moments later with the stranger in tow. "So, what's up?"

"We've made a decision." Robin told him. "I already asked you whether or not you ever thought of joining the Teen Titans. I'd like to extend that proposal to you again, in exchange for the information on your past that we'll certainly help you acquire."

"Really? Wow, I guess I'm honored. Or, I guess I should be..." the stranger replied. "Now, all there is left to do is give you a proper alias. Or, at least a name we can refer to you by." Robin explained.

"Yeah, that would be nice." the stranger said, "But, I don't have the foggiest idea what you guys should call me. I don't know what to call MYSELF."

"How about 'Nemo'?" Raven suggests. At that, Beast Boy and Cyborg start cracking up. Starfire looks completely baffled. "But, is that not also the name of the little fish in that movie we watched no so long ago?"

"Raven wants to name him after little fish! That's hilarious!" Beast Boy manages to say through bouts of laughter.

Raven grits her teeth, fists clenching, "No, you morons! Nemo is a reference to classic Greek Mythology. It's what Odysseus said to the cyclops, Polythemus, when he asked who had blinded him. It means literally "No one"."

"Ah, I see! A name for the nameless." Starfire remarked, "Friend Raven, you are most clever."

"Nemo, huh?" the stranger said, "Nemo... I guess that's okay. And, my alias can be Mindsurge."

"Mindsurge, that's badass, dawg!" Cyborg replied, giving him a thumb's up. "How fitting..." Raven murmured. Beast Boy and Starfire voiced their approval as well. 'Mindsurge' smiled, beginning to feel that his decision to come to Jump City had perhaps been an excellent one. When the meeting as all but over, Robin stood and held out a hand to him.

"Well, Mindsurge, welcome to the team."


	6. Chapter 5

**Settling**

And so the young stranger Nemo, who was also Mindsurge, joined the Titans in their tower on the island in the bay of the city. After the team meeting had ended and the members and dispersed, he was left with Robin, who began to explain to him the many facets of duty that being a Titan entailed. "As a team, it's our single priority to ensure the safety of this city and the innocents who live and work here. All criminals, terrorists, and other assorted villains must be defeated or prevented from allowing their schemes to come to fruition."

"I understand." Mindsurge replied, nodding. "We're protectors foremost." Robin nodded back, "Yes, but there are some limitations to our role as protectors. Limitations in the amount of force that can be used against offenders, for instance. I, and citizens of this city, will not tolerate excessive force on any Titan's part against an enemy. That includes undue injury or potential fatalities. The people... erm, most of them are or _were_ people, we fight are still living, breathing humans who have just as much right as the rest of us. And, I say that very liberally, as I'm sure there are a few who don't fit under the human or breathing category, anymore."

"Uh, right... So, no killing or maiming of any sort." Mindsurge said, "I've got it. Anything else?"

Robin replied, "Only the chain of command. While I remain in good health and mental stability, I am in charge. I expect strict and unwavering obedience to my orders, as hesitation or the inability to follow orders to the fullest extent could cost someone... perhaps a team mate... their life, understand?"

"Understood." Mindsurge said. Robin continued, "Good. Now, in the event that I somehow become incapacitated or otherwise unfit to command, the mantle of authority is passed on to Cyborg. He's been officially designated as Second in Command. From there, if he should fall or otherwise become unable to command, follow Raven's leadership. And, so on with Starfire, ending with Beast Boy, if things get truly hellish."

"Um, let's hope that never happens, I guess." Mindsurge remarked. Robin's face betrayed no mirth, but he replied, "If it does, we're all doomed anyways, so what's the worst that can happen?"

Mindsurge scratched at the back of his head, uneasily, "Oh, good point, there..." Robin stood from his seat on the couch. "Alright, aside from the training schedule that you'll eventually memorize, there's little left to do to get you ready. Cyborg should be able to procure a room for you in the tower's living quarters. We should have a few rooms to spare, or that can be converted to other uses. Oh, and if the Crime Alert should go off, report to the main room from wherever you are in the tower. You'll need this to communicate should you be out somewhere else in the city." He produced a small, compact circular device. Emblazoned with a white T in a black field set upon yellow metal. Mindsurge took the device from Robin, and felt it's weight in his grasp. "This is a Titans Communicator, which will allow us to know where you are via the Titans Mainframe and be able to speak with you at a moments notice. Keep it with you at all times, if you can remember. It might save your life one day."

Robin left to do some filing work in his quarters. He told Mindsurge to go and find Cyborg down in the tower's garage. It seemed that he oftentimes was down there, working on one thing or another. He took the elevator down and found the cybernetic hero hard at work polishing the high tech car from earlier. Upon hearing the elevator doors open, he turned and looked over his shoulder. "Eh, if it ain't the Mindsurge, himself! How ya doin' so far? Robin bend your ear yet with all the fancy protocol he's always talkin' about?"

"Yeah, gave me a lot to think about and remember for the future. He went to go and do some other work, and told me to find you." Mindsurge replied.

"Find me? For what? Oh! I know, he wants me to fix you up with a room here in the tower. Well, alright... give me a sec to finish polishing my baby, here, and I'll see what I can do." Cyborg said. He back to polishing the smooth, streamlined surface of the vehicle before him. He worked diligently and carefully, using a high quality polishing oil and a bran new looking cloth. He made that car positively radiant under the fluorescent lightning of the garage. "Booyah! Man, the T-car has never looked so good!"

"The T-car? What does that stand for, anyway?" Mindsurge inquired. Cyborg looked over at him with a strange look on his face, "Dawg, do I really have to explain it to you?"

"What? Is it that obvious? Oh, wait..." Mindsurge blinked, "The Titans car..." Cyborg laughed, "Man, you had me worried for a moment there. Anyway, yeah, that's what it stands for. I should know, I built the thing."

"Really? All on your own?" Mindsurge said. Cyborg snorted, "Yeah, man! I'm the technology specialist for the team. It's pretty cool, huh?"

"Yeah, it certainly looks... high tech... and all." Mindsurge replied. Cyborg looked at him out of the corner of his eye, "You don't know jack about cars, do you?"

"Um, no... not a clue." Mindsurge admitted, directing his gaze to the smooth concrete floor at his feet.

Cyborg shrugged, and didn't seem to be overly disappointed. "Oh well, at least I'll be able to give you a few lessons on the subject later... Anyway! Let's go get you a room, shall we?"

Mindsurge followed him back into the elevator. It took them back up to the floor of the towers with the living quarters. Exiting the elevator, Cyborg led him down a myriad of interconnected hallways and corridors. "I should also tell you that my old man was the one who built this place, the whole of it. I know it like the back of my hand, pretty much."

"Really? I think I would have already been lost, if it hadn't been for you." Mindsurge remarks.

Cyborg replied, "Yeah, well... it is a bit labyrinthian in nature, but nothing a few weeks will cure. Soon enough, you'll be able to navigate just as easily as the rest of us. Anyway, before we get too ahead of ourselves, I should give you the whole spiel on quartering protocol in the tower."

Mindsurge sighed, "Another one?" Cyborg smirked, "Yeah, another one. Don't worry though, I'll try and be brief. I don't like to hear my own voice half as much as the Boy Wonder does!" He cleared his throat. "All members of the Titans will have their own personal living quarters, furnished to their tastes, so long as it doesn't impede operational efficiency or effectiveness. Each titan's quarters has only one entrance and exit, secured by an electronic locking mechanism which operates independent of the main security network. You will create your own entry code, and keep it on the down low so only you may access your quarters. Ya know, don't go blabbin' it to the world. Beast Boy did that, and had to change his code at least twice in the same day."

"Is that it?" Mindsurge inquired. Cyborg nodded, "Officially, yeah, that's it. Unofficially, though, there are a few things you need to know about the other Titan's rooms. One; you never ever, and I mean NEVER, go into Raven's room for any reason! Two; don't go into BB's room unless you have a deathwish. The little dude's never cleaned it, not once since he joined up. I swear, there are some things in there you'll wish you never saw! And, the last thing, don't expect to knock on Robin's door and actually talk to him. The guy is an insomniac, working late into the early morning on God-knows-what, and rarely answers his own door. Besides that, just respect people's privacy if you find a door open or unsecured. Got it?"

"I got it." Mindsurge replied. Cyborg smiled, "Good. Because, here we are!" They stopped out in front of a metal door. Beside it, a keypad had been set into the wall. Cyborg tapped one key and the door opened. He motioned for Mindsurge to step ahead of him. Mindsurge entered the room beyond and found a compartment of fair size inside. It had a bed, lacking the mattress or anything else. And it had a single solitary dresser, which he also supposed was empty. The walls, floor, and ceiling were devoid of any decoration whatsoever. It gave the room a spartan feel.

"It's kinda bare, now. But later on, we'll get ya some stuff to make it your own. Whatdaya think?" Cyborg inquired.

Mindsurge surveyed the room fully and replied, "Well, it's the most I've had in a while. I can't complain."

Cyborg started for the door. "Don't worry, man. It'll look better once we get some stuff in here. In fact, I'll get on that right away. Wouldn't want to forget before it comes time for bed. Alright, I've got to jet. Hey, have you thought of a better uniform, yet?"

"A better uniform?" Mindsurge echoed, looking puzzled. Cyborg ducked his head back in and replied, "Yeah, you know... a uniform! Most of the team has one... well, except me. I really have no use for clothes anymore, do I?"

"Ah, no... I guess not. I guess it would be nice to have better fitting clothes." Mindsurge muttered, looking down at the ill fitting lab gear he had worn since he had left the abandoned research lab.

"Well, maybe Beast Boy or Starfire might have some ideas. See ya round!" Mindsurge waited in the room till the heavy footfalls faded in the distance. He looked around the room. In one hand he had Gaurotte's book. The only document he had kept from the Titans. He walked over to the bed frame and set the book down on the floor underneath. He'd read it later. He took a deep breathe and headed for the door. He went searching for Beast Boy and Starfire and found them in the main room. Beast Boy was sitting on the couch, playing some game on the entertainment console hooked up to the big screen. Starfire floated nearby, watching avidly. Beast Boy paused the game when he realized that Mindsurge stood nearby.

"Hey, you wanna get a little Mega Monkey 4 action, dude?" he offered. Mindsurge shook his head, "No, but thanks for asking."

"Oh well, your loss, dude. This game is one of the greats! A classic!" Beast Boy said, returning to the game.

"Greetings once again, new friend Mindsurge. Did you find your living space satisfactory?" Starfire inquired, smiling radiant as ever.

Mindsurge shrugged, "It's okay. Say, Cyborg mentioned that I should be looking for a better uniform. He said you two would have some ideas, possibly."

Beast Boy nearly killed his character in surprise. He quickly paused the game. "Cyborg said that? Well, of course! It's about time he recognized my inherent expertise in making super awesome costumes!"

"Yes, it is quite pleasing to hear that friend Cyborg has so much faith in us." Starfire added. "Might I suggest we start with something pink?" Before Mindsurge could even voice his opinion on the matter, Beast Boy replied, "Uh... Starfire, pink wouldn't suit him..."

"Oh... Why not?"

"Um... because... because... his eyes are blue!" Beast Boy cried, and then proceeded to wrap one arm around Mindsurge's shoulders. With his other hand, he pointed to Mindsurge's right eye. "See? Pink should never go with blue, it's as simple as that!"

"I see..." Starfire replied, though her tone suggested otherwise. Mindsurge cleared his throat and ducked out from under Beast Boy. "Uh, could we perhaps do this without any pink... or any unwanted physical contact? That was just making me uneasy..."

Beast Boy replied, "Sure, whatever. Jeez, your even weirder than Raven! And, that's saying something. Come on, follow us! We'll get you suited up in no time!"

They went into Starfire's room. Mindsurge found the room to be an overwhelming shade of pink. Beast Boy didn't seem to mind, though if what Cyborg had said about his room was true, he would be happy just about anywhere. A half hour passed, as they went through box after box of clothing. Apparently, they had a stock of spare material for putting together hero uniforms. And, surprisingly, Beast Boy and Starfire did have good suggestions. In the end, his official Titans uniform comprised of clothing mostly blue and gold. Light jacket, short sleeved shirt, belt, pants, and shoes. All blue with some amount of gold on them. Looking in the mirror, Mindsurge really couldn't find a problem with the way he looked. Even better, these clothes fit.

"Not bad, if I do say so myself!" Beast Boy said, grinning widely. Starfire clasped her hands, "He does look similar to a disreputable donkey!"

Beast Boy quirked an eyebrow, "Uh, Starfire... do you mean badass?"

"Verily!"

"Okay, so... thanks, I guess." Mindsurge replied. "I'll leave you to go back to your games."

"Alright dude, no prob. See ya later!" Beast Boy replied, and bounded off with Starfire in close pursuit. Mindsurge wondered if he'd ever get used to those two. He decided to go and get some fresh air. He left Starfire's room and headed for the elevator, and decided to see if he could get to the roof of the tower. Sure enough, the elevator ran straight to the roof. When he doors were opened, he was treated to a spectacular view of the bay and the surrounding city on the mainland. He stood there for a few moments, drinking in the scenery.

"Just what do you think your doing up here?" A voice suddenly deadpanned. "GAAAHH!" Completely unprepared, and badly startled, Mindsurge nearly fell off of the roof. When he had ceased the terrified beating of his heart, he looked around. Sitting cross-legged not more than a few feet away was a petite, cloaked form. "Uh... Raven?"

"Mindsurge... Didn't anyone tell you, that this is where I meditate?" Raven replied in a monotone voice. She sounded a little exasperated. "And, to meditate effectively, I need to be... absolutely... alone."

Mindsurge fidgeted, and started for the elevator, "Um, no... no one told me. Sorry, I'll just be going then! Didn't mean to interrupt anything..."

A tired sigh of resignation. "Nevermind, I was just about finished anyway." Raven stood and turned to face him. She spent a moment surveying his change of apparel.

"You look... blue." She said in a dry tone at length. Mindsurge shrugged, "It was that, or pink. Lots of pink. Or green."

"Let me guess, Beast Boy and Starfire?"

"Yeah, Cyborg's suggestion." Mindsurge admitted. Raven seems to smirk, but then as quickly as it appears, it's gone. "That was a dirty trick. I think I'll have to have a little word with him."

"Oh... okay." Mindsurge replied, and wondered just what she was talking about. " I need some tea." With that, Raven entered the elevator and disappeared down into the tower. The abruptness of her departure left him standing there, blinking. He shrugged, and turned back to admire the wondrous sea and landscape that surrounded his new home. However, he did not have long to do so. A few seconds later, his brand new Titans communicator vibrated in his pant's pocket. He pulled it out and activated it with a beep. "Uh... Mindsurge, here. What's up?"

"Mindsurge? It's Robin. I'm down on the ground floor, at the entry foyer. Seems you've got a few visitors here. I suggest you get down here as fast as possible." a familiar voice said from the device's speakers.

"Visitors, for me? Are you sure?" Mindsurge replied, sounding dubious. "He wants to speak with the 'special young man' who saved his daughter earlier today. That means you, unless I miss my guess. And that doesn't happen often. So, no more wasting time, Mindsurge. Get down here. Robin, out."


	7. Chapter 6

**Heroes Are Made, Not Born**

Visitors? Mindsurge still pondered why anyone would want to visit him. As far as he knew, he had no relations. And no friends to speak of, aside from the very recent association with the Titans. He now stood within the main elevator as it descended through the various levels of the tower. He was about half way down from the roof to the ground floor. Feeling a little anxious, he had hoped the elevator could move faster, but had been out of luck. So, he waited.

Finally, he felt the elevator braking and finally coming to a stop. There was a beep and then the doors parted with a pneumatic hiss. Beyond, the entry foyer. Robin stood to one side, arms crossed over his chest, gaze aimed expectantly at Mindsurge. To the other side of the foyer stood five people. A well dressed, elderly gentleman and four other people were there. Grim looking men dressed in black suits. They all held their hands clasped before them. Looking at them, Mindsurge received an uneasy feeling. He sensed they were armed, and they would shoot to kill. Hired bodyguards, no doubt.

Voices snapped Mindsurge out of his thoughts. Robin was speaking to the elderly gent. "There he is now."

Mindsurge stepped out of the elevator and approached the gathering. He stopped a respectful distance away and smiled, hoping his uneasiness wasn't too apparent. The elderly gentleman stepped forward with a huge, good natured grin on his face. "Ah, so good to see you in person, my boy! Let me introduce myself. My name is Reginald M. Pendragon."

"Um... call me, Mindsurge, sir." Mindsurge replied, instantly picking up the notion that this individual was definitely of high station.

"Mindsurge, is it? A very apt name, wouldn't you say, Robin?" Reginald said. Robin smiled slightly, "Indeed."

Reginald kept smiling, "Yes, a very apt name, I do say. Anyway, enough of that small talk. The reason I came out here to see you, my good boy, was to thank you. You saved my granddaughter from a nasty accident the other day, and I had to thank you in person. It's been a while since this crime-fighting organization has seen any new blood. I feel that you'll make an excellent addition to the team."

Mindsurge felt himself glowing with pride. "Thank you, sir. I was just doing what was right."

"But of course!" Reginald exclaimed, "But, a good turn deserves another, as the saying goes. I owe you a favor. The services and resources of Pendragon Biotechnologies Incorporated are at your disposal, if you should ever need them. And, before I forget, my granddaughter asked me to invite you for a visit. She wishes to extend her gratitude to you as well, and unfortunately could not come with me today."

"Oh, um... that's very nice of her, sir. However, I'm still new here, and I haven't yet learned of my responsibilities as part of the team. I don't know if I'll be free to come visit." Mindsurge replied.

"Don't worry about it, Mindsurge. We'll start training you today, and training sessions rarely last longer than a couple hours in the morning. I'm sure you could fit it in some afternoon this week." Robin said.

"Ah, well, then I will stop taking up anymore of your invaluable time, then." Reginald said, smiling. "We shall meet yet again, young sir. To you, Robin, I bid adieu!" Robin saw Mr. Pendragon out and then turned to Mindsurge. "Alright, I guess it's time to start. Let's go."

"Where're we going?" Mindsurge inquired, following him as he headed for the elevator. "The training room, of course. We need to get you shaped up."

"What? Why? I like the shape I'm in right now..." Mindsurge said. Robin shot him a glance, "While that may be, it's not the peak form I want you in. Every Titan recruit has conformed to my strict requirements. Your going to be no exception. Because, after all, you can't expect to triumph over the criminal or villainous threat on your powers alone, can you?"

Mindsurge sighed, "No, I suppose not. It's just, I've got this feeling that I've endured training in one form or another before and I didn't like it very much."

"Trust me, there's no way around this." Robin assured him. The elevator departed for the mid-levels of the tower. When it arrived and the doors opened, Mindsurge observed the place where he would toil and sweat for countless hours on countless days. The other Titans were already there, immersed in their own specialized exercises. Cyborg lifted impossibly heavy weights with his cybernetically enhanced strength, while Beast Boy ran on a series of reinforced treadmills in various animal forms. Starfire flew around, chased by a swarm of small, spherical machines that whined and attacked with miniature bolts of white taser energy. She would return fire with her starbolts and knock them down while attempting to dodge the incoming attacks. Raven sat cross-legged, the rest of her body assuming a graceful meditation pose as she levitated mere feet off the floor. Above her peaceful form, weighted objects float and hover to her mind's telekinetic call. Robin had Mindsurge follow him to the center of the room, where a large padded blue mat took up the floor.

"And this is where I usually train, the sparring area." he said by way of explanation. "Since I don't have what you'd call "powers", I refine the good old art of martial hand-to-hand combat. From what I've seen of your abilities, Mindsurge, you have an uncanny knack for anticipating and reacting to your opponents attacks. And, I've noticed your reaction times are a tad bit faster than your average human."

"Yeah..." Mindsurge replied, watching as the Boy Wonder suited himself up with training gear. It looked as if he was preparing for a match as he spoke. Mindsurge already had a bad feeling that he was going to be the opponent of the day. He was also getting the feeling that if he tried to face down Robin in hand-to-hand, he'd get schooled. He knew this, and he was pretty sure Robin knew this. He tossed Mindsurge the companion set of training gear to him anyway. "So, today, we start training that ability of yours and improving your close-in fighting prowess. Okay?"

"Yeah, you're the boss." Mindsurge said, putting on the headgear, the knuckle-guards, and the rest of the stuff. While he waited, Robin stretched, cracked joints, and settled into a fighting ready stance. Mindsurge could already feel the painful soreness that would be left after this match. But, Robin looked determined, so he resolved himself to at least give a good showing.

With a knowing smirk, Robin inquired, "Ready?"

Mindsurge nodded, "Let's go." Robin nodded back, and then with a loud battlecry charged. Mindsurge was surprised at how fast his leader could move, as it only took the blink of an eye before the Boy Wonder was on him, swinging, kicking, chopping with all his speed and power. Mindsurge reacted instinctively. As if some deeply buried knowledge had taken over. He blocked a fast jab, parried a round-house punch, sidestepped a snap kick, turned another attack aside, and when he saw an opening time seemed to slow down. He had just ducked a punch, the blow barely avoiding his face by mere inches. He jerked himself to the side and threw a punch of his own, tagging the Boy Wonder square in the stomach. He took the blow and turned with it, made it into a glancing attack, lessening the impact. Time seemed to resume as the Boy Wonder smiled, and said, "Not bad, you've had some training in the past. Your pretty good, but not great. Not where I need you to be in terms of expertise."

As if to drive home his point, he unleashed a blindingly fast series of high and low attacks that drove Mindsurge backwards, reeling, barely defending himself from the expertly delivered blows. He jumped, and planted an impossibly strong kick right in Mindsurge's chest. The force from the kick blasted the air from his lungs and hurled him backwards to slam against a support pillar. He slumped to the floor, gasping in his attempt to breathe again. At this time, the other Titans had stopped their various activities to watch. All, save for Raven, winced.

"Yo Rob, don't you think that was a little harsh for day one?" Cyborg remarked. Robin shook his head, "No way, I'm holding back too much. He's going to thank me for this one day. Get up, Mindsurge, we've got at least another two hours and a half of this!"

Wheezing painfully, Mindsurge muttered to himself, "Oh, goody..." And then hauled himself upright. He staggered back into the ring, put up his fists, and proceeded to get summarily whipped. Sure, his ability to foresee Robin's movements and attacks before they occur helped some, but knowing an attack was coming and knowing how to interrupt or counter that attack were two different things. The best he could do was dodge as best he could, and attack whenever an opening made itself apparent. However, being the expert martial artist, any attack that landed, was received in such a way as to nullify it's affects, allowing Robin to effectively brush off any given attack. Frustration mounted, although he took some consolation by mentally reminding himself that this was his first official day as a Titan, his first training session. However, as the match wore on, that perpetual smirk on the Boy Wonder's face started to really annoy him. Just once, he'd like to wipe that smirk off his face. He tried, but it was nearly impossible, even with the budding command of his ability to foresee future events. A little over an hour into the sparring match, Robin showed no signs of tiring. Mindsurge, however, was nearly ready to pass out. He fell to his knees before Robin, breathing hard, sweating heavily.

Robin seemed to be a bit disappointed, but kept that well masked. However, Mindsurge was aware of his true feelings when he said, "Well, it looks like you've had enough. Not bad for a first time. However, I'd like to see you keep going in the future. An hour of extraneous combat is good, but you'll find there are no such time constraints out in the field. You really have to be ready to fight where, when, and for however long it takes. Understand?"

"Yeah, I get it..." Mindsurge muttered, trying to catch his breathe. Robin stood there for a moment, then turned and started for the door to the elevator. "When your up to it, go and hit the showers. Maybe if we're lucky, we'll get a Crime Alert, and then you can get some field experience. I'll be in my room sorting some files, if anyone needs me."

Mindsurge watched him go, looked around, and then realized that he was alone. The other Titans had left already. He shrugged it off, stood, nearly fell, and staggered to the elevator. He stepped into the car and punched the controls for the habitation level. When the elevator stopped, he stepped out, and proceeded directly to his room. He found the door open and inside, heard things being moved around. He looked in and saw Cyborg adjusting the position of the bedframe, a stack of blankets, pillows, and sheets on the floor beside him. He turned and smiled when he saw Mindsurge in the doorway. "Hey, your still in one piece! Way to go! Listen, you probably want to get out of those clothes, so I'll just get my tin can outta here, alright?"

"Sure, no problem." Mindsurge replied, and then added, "Hey, Cyborg, is Robin always that... I don't know..."

"Intense?"

Mindsurge nodded, "Yeah, that's it. He nearly kicked my head clean off a few times when I was sparring with him. And, I couldn't even touch him!"

Cyborg chuckled, "Yeah, it wasn't very pretty from where I was standin'. I gotta say, that was the first time the Boy Wonder decided to spar someone without them gettin' broken in first, ya know? I didn't think it was very sporting, really. After all, according to what you've told us, you've only been up and around for a few days. Who knows how long you were kept in that big metal tube back at the lab, right? Coulda been months, years, decades even."

"Guess I didn't stand a chance, in other words." Mindsurge remarked, just coming to the realization of just how badly outclassed he had been. Cyborg nodded, "Yep. But, Robin would never be as negligent as to take a raw recruit and beat him to a pulp. Not his style. The only time he ever did something like that, was when he knew that you were capable of much more, and didn't know it. Sort of a trial by fire, to make you realize your potential. Oh well, I guess you've got room for improvement. Anyway, I'll leave you alone. Catch ya later!" And off he went.

Mindsurge gathered things for his trip to the bathroom. The soreness was beginning to set in, and the hot shower that he envisioned would help soothe the protesting muscles and aching joints. But, before he left, he glanced to the briefcase, and the book that lay underneath the bed. That would be his key to improvement. That, and more training. He realized he had a long way to go before he was going to be anything like a hero, anything that would be deemed worthy of the Titans namesake.

_After all,_ he thought as he headed for the bathroom to shower, _Heroes aren't born, their made._


End file.
